Drier apparatus



July 6, 1954 R. T. wAKEFn-:LD

DRIER APPARATUS Filed NOV. 15, 1949 Sheets-Sheet l V OOO Q INvENoR T.. WAKE/FIEL@ 5% Q f/ ATTORN EY .RAY

wnNEvssEs- July 6, 1954 R. T. WAKEFIELD- 2,682,711

DRIER APPARATUS Filed Nov. 15, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR RAY. 'WA/{EF/ELD ATTORNEY Patented July 6, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRIER APPARATUS Application November 15, 1949, Serial No. 127,454

1 Claim.

My invention relates to apparatus for drying fabrics or the like and has for an object to provide improved apparatus of this kind.

This invention relates, primarily, to tumbling type of dryers wherein the fabrics are tumbled Within a cylinder which is rotated about a horizontal axis and which has an access opening in its end Wall for the ingress or egress of the fabrics. Heated air is passed through the basket for abstracting Water from the fabrics andthe moistened air is discharged to the ambient atmosphere or through a duct to the atmosphere exterior of the room in which the dryer is located. The fabrics are repeatedly lifted by the rotation of the basket to an elevated region in the basket and then gravitate clear of and across the basket to its bottom.

In accordance with my invention, the heated air is directed through the access opening of the basket into contact with the fabrics as they gravitate across the basket. The air intimately contacts substantially all surfaces of the fabrics as they drop and, therefore, readily vaporizes water in the fabrics. The air discharge opening for the moistened air is preferably located in an upper region of the drying chamber to facilitate the removal of the relatively light moist air and, because a lint trap is usually employed in the discharge duct which requires frequent attention of the operator. The trap is more readily accessible at the top of the dryer and, therefore,is more apt tofreceive the attention of the operator. Another reason for locating the air discharge opening at the top of the dryer where a duct is employed for discharging the moist air to the outside atmosphere is that a shorter exposed duct may be used. it being understood that many dryers are located in basements below ground level. In order to prevent short circuiting of the heated air direct from the air inlet to the upper air outlet, the latter is located in a region which is blanketed by the fabrics as they are elevated and dropped invention, certain elements of which are shown in elevation for the sake of clearness;

Fig. 2 is a section taken along the line II-lI of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section showing a detail and is taken along the line III-III of Fig. 2; and I Fig. 4 is a View of the heated air discharge opening, as viewed from the plane IV-IV in Fig. 1.

Reference will now be had to the drawing wherein I have elected to show my invention applied to a domestic type of clothes dryer including an outer casing structure l@ having a front wall II, the'upper portion i2 of which is inclined rearwardly and upwardly of the casing structure. The casing III alsoV includes a rear wall I3, side walls I4 and I5 and a top wall i6. As shown, the front wall portion i2 is provided with an access opening Il which is closed during operation of the dryer by a suitable door structure I8 hinged, as shown at l@ to the front wall of the casing. A gasket 2l may be employed around the access opening to provide a substantially air-tight connection with the door I8 when the latter is closed.

Arranged within the casing structure l is a generally cylindrical baille 22 which enoloses a drying chamber 23. As shown, the bale 22 includes a cylindrical side wall portion 2li Ywhich extendsfforwardly from the rear wall I3 of the casing and which is secured to the rear wall i3 in any well understood manner. The forward end of the baffle structure 22 is provided with an end wall 25 generally of frusto-conical configuration, as shown. The center of the front wall 25 is provided with a relatively iarge opening 26 and a chute, generally indicated at 2l, extends between end wall 25 and the wall portion l2 of the casing. The chute is divergent, as shown, and the outer end of the chute 21 is secured to the front wall portion I2 in any well understood manner. The opposite or inner end of the chute 2l is disposed within the opening 25 in the front wall and is secured to the front wall 25 in any suitable manner, as by welding.

' Arranged withinV the drying chamber 23 isa basket, generally indicated at 30, for containing the fabrics to be treated and including a generally cylindrical and perforate side wall 28, a front end wall 29, the latter having a relatively large access opening 3l formed therein and which is in registry with the inner end of the chute 21. It will be understood that substantially the entire side wall 28 of the basket 30 is perforate, a number of the perforations being indicated at 32. The basket includes a rear wall 33 having a shaft 34 suitably secured thereto, the latter being journaled in a bearing 35 carried by the rear wall I3 of the casing. The basket 30 is also provided with a plurality of vanes 36 which extend radially inwardly from the side wall 28 of the basket and which serve to elevate the fabrics in the basket during rotation of the latter as referred to more in detail hereinafter.

Rotation of the basket 30 is effected in any well understood manner by an electric motor 31 carried by a base plate 38 forming a part of the casing I0. As shown, the motor 31 is provided with'a shaft extension 33 which drives the shaft 34 of the basket by a suitable pulley and belt arrangement, indicated generally at 4I. As shown, the shaft 39 is provided with a driving pulley 42 and a driven sheave 43 is carried or otherwise secured to the shaft 3Q. It will be understood that one or more intermediate driving and driven pulleys may be employed to obtain the proper speed reduction but such intermediate pulleys have not been shown for the sake of clearness and brevity.

Air is translated through the drying chamber 23 by a rotary fan or blower, indicated at 44, and driven by the shaft 39 and the motor 31. The blower #it includes a housing 45 which is provided with an axially extending opening 41 for the passage of air from the interior of the casing le to the rotating element of the blower 44. Air is admitted to the interior of the casing I from the ambient atmosphere through a plurality of openings 4S provided in the front wall il of the casing.

Air translated by the blower44 enters an air heating chamber, indicated at 49, which is dened by a pair of side walls 5l, the bottom of the cylindrical baiile 2li and a bottom plate, indicated at 52. The end of the air heating chamber 49 opposite to the blower fifi is closed by an end plate 53. Air is heated in the chamber 49 in any. well understood manner such as, for example, by an electric heating element 54 which may be formed of bareV heating wire carried by a plurality of insulating porcelain blocks 55 which are supported by a frame 56. The latter is supported by a removable plate 51 forming a part of one of the walls 5I.

in accordance with my invention, the air heated in the chamber ai! is conveyed directly to the air drying chamber 23 through the access opening 3I of the basket 30. As shown, a duct 58 has its inlet end secured to the front Wall 5l of the heating chamber and receives heated air through an opening 59 formed in this wall 5I. The duct 58 terminates in the lower portion of the chute 21 and is secured thereto in any suitable manner as by means of bolts 6i. The latter serve to position a screen or grill 32 in the discharge end of the duct for preventing fabrics disposed in the chute 21 from entering the duct 58.

As set forth heretofore, it is desirable that the discharge opening for discharging the moistened air from the dryer be located in an upper region of the casing. Accordingly, an arcuate opening 63 is formed in the cylindrical baiile 22 and provides communication between the heating chamber 23 and the interior of a box structure 64 located in the rear, upper right hand portion of the casing as shown in Fig. 2. The box structure 64 is suitably secured to the cyindrical baie 22 and to the side wall I5 and the rear wall I3 of the casing. As shown, an opening 65 is provided in the rear wall I3 for the discharge of damp air from the dryer. In the embodiment shown, a sheet metal conduit 66 is provided for conveying the air to a point of discharge (not shown) exteriorly of the room in which the dryer is located. t will be understood that the air may also be discharged to the ambient atmosphere through the opening 35 and, in this case, a lint trap of the type disclosed in the copending application of E. L. Zehrbach, Serial No. 794,843, filed December 31, 1947, may be applied to the rear wall I3 of the casing over the opening 65.

In the operation of the dryer described up to now, the motor 31 operates to rotate the basket 30 counterclockwise as viewed in 2. The fabrics are elevated by the vanes 33 and partially by centrifugal force to an upper region of the basket 3G and drying chamber In this region, gravity overcomes centrifugal force of the fabrics, and accordingly, the fabrics gravitate clear of and across the basket Sil to the bottom thereof to be again elevated by the rotating basket 30. As the fabrics fall away from the basket side wall 28, they unfold. The path followed by the fabrics is shown in Fig. 2 wherein the arrows A indicate approximately the sides of a path in which the fabrics are confined, the depth of thepath `being substantially coextensive with the length of the basket side wall E8. The stream of heatedair issuing from the duct 58 is approximately shown by the arrows and the arrangement is such, that the heated air stream intimately contacts substantially the entire area of the unfolded fabrics as they gravitate from the wall of the basket et. Accordingly, the vaporization of water in the fabrics is facilitated. It will be noted that the moving body of fabrics defines a blanket between the outlet of the duct 58 and the discharge opening of the drying chamber so that, short circuiting heated air directly from the duct 58 to the opening G3 is prevented.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that I have provided improved air circulation in a dryer of the tumbling type wherein air heated exteriorly of the drying ch ber is impinged directly cn the fabrics as they avitate in the basket unfolded. The body of moving fabrics defines a blanket or baffle for preventing air from passing directly to the air outlet which is spaced from the air intake in an elevated region of the dryer. Vaporizaticn of moisture from the fabrics is greatly facilitated by the intimate contact of the heated air stream and the unfolded fabrics as they gravitate across the basket.

While I have shown the invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modications without de parting from the spirit thereof.

What I claim is:

In a dryer for fabrics, the combination cf a casing including a front wall and enclosing a drying chamber, a generally cylindrical basket for containing the fabrics and disposed within the drying chamber, means rotatably supporting the basket for movement about substantially horizontal axis, said basket having an axially extending access opening formed therein and said front wall of the casing having a second access opening therein, the lower portion at least of said second access opening being elevated with 5 respect to the lower portion of the access opening of the basket, a chute carried by the casing and extending between the access openings of the casing and the basket, the opposite ends of said chute being in substantial registry with at least the lower portions of said access openings, the lower portion of said chute sloping down- Wardly and rearwardly from the access opening in said front wall, an air heating structure, means for translating air to the air heating structure, a duct for conveying heated air from the air heating structure and opening into the lower sloping portion of said chute, said duct being disposed for directing the heated air through the access opening of the basket and inwardly and upwardly within the basket, means rotating said basket for cyclically elevating the fabrics to an upper region of the basket from which they gravitate through the path of upwardly moving heated air lll discharged by said duct and means opening in said drying chamber at a point spaced remotely from the point at which said duct opens into the lower sloping portion of said chute for discharging moistened air from the drying chamber.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,986,548 Wolff Jan. 1, 1935 2,074,508 Hetzer Mar. 23, 1937 2,108,084 Strobridge Feb. 15, 1938 2,328,256 Breckenbridge Aug. 31, 1943 2,372,790 Morgenstern Apr. 3, 1945 2,393,380 Jorgenson et al Jan. 22, 1946 2,424,737 Broglie July 29, 1947 2,500,062 Clark Mar. 7, 1950 2,503,448 Morris Apr. 11, 1950 

